Two human polls comprised the 1959 NCAA University Division football rankings. Unlike most sports, college football's governing body, the NCAA, does not bestow a national championship, instead that title is bestowed by one or more different polling agencies. There are two main weekly polls that begin in the preseason—the AP Poll and the Coaches Poll.
| Increase in ranking | |||
| Decrease in ranking | |||
| Not ranked previous week | |||
| National champion | |||
| Win–loss record | |||
| Number of first place votes | |||
| Tied with team above or below also with this symbol |
The final AP poll was released on December 7, at the end of the 1959 regular season, weeks before the major bowls.[1]
The final UPI Coaches Poll was released prior to the bowl games, on December 8.[2]
Syracuse received 31 of the 35 first-place votes; Mississippi received three and Washington one.[3]
| Ranking | Team | Conference | Bowl |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Syracuse | Independent | Won Cotton, 23–14 |
| 2 | Ole Miss | SEC | Won Sugar, 21–0 |
| 3 | LSU | SEC | Lost Sugar, 0–21 |
| 4 | Texas | Southwest | Lost Cotton, 14–23 |
| 5 | Georgia | SEC | Won Orange, 14–0 |
| 6 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | Lost Rose, 8–44 |
| 7 | Washington | AAWU | Won Rose, 44–8 |
| 8 | TCU | Southwest | Lost Bluebonnet, 7–23 |
| 9 | Arkansas | Southwest | Won Gator, 14–7 |
| 10 | Penn State | Independent | Won Liberty, 7–0 |
| 11 | Clemson | ACC | Won Bluebonnet, 23–7 |
| 12 | Illinois | Big Ten | none |
| 13 | Alabama | SEC | Lost Liberty, 0–7 |
| USC | AAWU | none | |
| 15 | Auburn | SEC | |
| 16 | Michigan State | Big Ten | |
| 17 | Oklahoma | Big Eight | |
| 18 | Notre Dame | Independent | |
| 19 | Florida | SEC | |
| Pittsburgh | Independent | ||
| Missouri | Big Eight | Lost Orange, 0–14 |